Mike Burns: "We have a good team, but Jay sucks." Jay Heaps: "We have a good team, but I suck." Reality: "We have a below average team, and Jay and Mike both suck."
I'm done with this team. Unbelievable. No accountability at all. According to the article in this morning's Globe, basically Burns thinks they are doing everything right but they just have bad luck. Perhaps eventually when there some significant changes made (Burns, Heaps gone) I'll be back but I'm done for now. http://edition.pagesuite.com/popovers/article_popover.aspx?guid=f9d9d0ed-29bb-48dd-8ea9-1ab282b5fa18
This seems to me to guarantee that Jay will be fired some time midseason next year, and that Burns will keep on keeping on in the front office – GMs usually only get fired in the offseason. So... we're basically ********ed for 2017, is what I'm saying. I may have to get myself a Buck Furns shirt.
Here's the part of FDA's article that really irritates me: The Revolution, though, also could be in danger of falling behind in a league that has taken significant steps to upgrade coaching and management staffs. The team’s stability has been a strength, but critics note signs of institutional inertia, which could limit the ability to keep pace. “That is an interesting question, because it’s only been two years removed since we played in an MLS Cup final,’’ Burns said. “Those questions didn’t seem to be raised then. When we go from MLS Cup to making the playoffs to not making the playoffs, it becomes more of an issue." Excuses, excuses.
Well, no one in that front office has a brain (or balls), so that applies. Yes, you ********ing dolt! When you regress, people start asking questions. That's how sports work!
I've gone from a season ticket holder, to a "package" holder, to a couple of individual games. I don't have the heart to continue like this. Revs FO, if you won't give a damn then why should I?
I'm just purely frustrated. As many of us had figured, the accountability phrase that was uttered back in 2012 was just trash as usual coming from this front office.
I am not surprised at all. I have to believe that part of this decision was stability, the last 10 games, and that we should have a whole season with Kouassi. While I do not agree, I am not surprised. Another POV -> This team had its best attendance in 19 years and was tied for the last playoff spot, but missed out on goal differential. Fire Heaps? He might get an extension. I find this organization to be very frustrating, but also predictable. The reporting in this article is frustrating. Ask some follow up questions. How much of the MLS Cup year was due to Jones vs. Heaps? What does 5 MLS Cup finals in 20 years have to do with last season or next season? How much wiggle room does an underachieving coach or player have going forward? How do you rate Goncalves over the last few years? How do you weigh the risks of re-signing him vs. letting him go? What are the off the field weaknesses? How are they being addressed? Same question for on the field? What are the priorities this off season? How will you measure if things are going in the right direction or determine if a change is needed? etc.... I find myself wondering what the goals are for this organization? 20,000 people go to each game. What do they think about the team and its direction? Or is it the case that such thoughts have nothing to do with their enjoyment of the game?
That Globe article is absolutely infuriating me right now. Seriously, I'm going to vent, so if that bothers you, don't read. On top of the quote posted above by Argyle, here's some more gems from the front office... Oh Good. Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how'd you like the play? Yes, Jay. That's really all you need. One or two pieces will fix all the f'in problems this team had. That's cute Burns. We. How did you do at your job exactly? Where's the I underacheived? Or is this like last year, when we didn't probably use the Sporting partnership as well as we could have? You're the God Damn GM. Tomato. Tomahto. Huh. I could have sworn the fans here have been saying that for 4/5 years now. But, what do we know? Where's all the KAD's to tell us how wrong we were? What now? How can the league get "there." Where is "there?" If some teams are ahead of the curve, shouldn't we be trying to be one of those? Oh of course not. Because if the team did that, you'd be long fired. If we had more staff, there might be more people noticing my failings! Shut up Jay. Shut up Burns. Just seriously ... shut the hell up.
This passage for me really illustrates how the Revs think. This is Burns: “The league is evolving before our eyes. You’re seeing teams with full-time scouts. A few years ago, teams didn’t have technical directors and now they almost all have technical directors. Or strength and conditioning coaches — now they all have one. I think scouting is the next thing. “Are some teams a little bit ahead of the curve? Yes. We as a league will all get there, but we as a league are not all there yet. That’s the evolution of our league. But I don’t look at it like our club is at a disadvantage or we need more staff or more of this or more of that. Because I think we’re still in a place where we can compete for championships and I think we’ve shown that very recently." So Burns is explicitly saying that the Revs do not feel that they have to push the envelope or be ahead of the curve in the league. They only have to be in the middle of the pack ("we as a league are not all there yet"). But because they recently (3 seasons ago now) made the MLS Cup final, that shows they have the ability to compete, therefore no significant changes are necessary. Can you imagine a quotation like that coming from the Red Sox, Patrios, Celtics or Bruins?
Reassuring to know that Blooter is committed to making sure that for as long as he's in charge, the Revs will not be one of those teams that's ahead of the curve.
You would think that the Krafts would be able to tell the difference between losers and winners - but they seem to have utterly failed. Burns' quotes in that article are the typical quotes of a loser: 'unlucky', 'underachieved', etc. Just do your job. OVERALL THE TEAM DID NOT DO ITS JOB. Staying the course is nuts. The MLS final two years ago was because you were lucky enough for Jermaine Jones to fall into your lap. I did give up my season tickets this year after being a STH from Day 1. Was second guessing myself after the game, but with this drivel from the leaders of our team -- I am very comfortable with my decision. Will still follow the team, just not going to care that much, because obviously management and owners don't care that much either.
Hey, if you're ahead of the curve, you might worry about what's behind you. Blooter does not have to worry about his behind.
They averaged 20K fans! Most of those "fans" will never hear/read Burns' comments, much less care about what they really mean. The few that care enough to see through Burns' drivel? We are too small in number for Kraft to be concerned...
I heard this on the radio in the sports hub sports flash this morning and swore at the top of my lungs. Just another indication that while the Patriots continue to be the trendsetting model for an NFL franchise, the Revs continue to be a coattail riding middling/bottom feeding operation. A million years and still the same.
Not a whole lot I can add to what everyone else is saying, but I've been posting in the past week that I fully expected Heaps to be back, but really, I was sooooo hoping some KAD would come in here and bust my chops about how wrong I was.... This shows the total indifference from the top, that the Krafts think that good enough is good enough. When Heaps finally made some changes to the formation in September and the team immediately started playing better, my biggest fear was that he would be vindicated. The only problem is that he didn't make that change in June. The team is fine. The coach is fine. The GM is fine. The bottom line is fine. That's all that matters. Burns' quotes in the article are doubly disturbing. "Unlucky" is when Chicago lost the coin flip to sign Jermaine Jones and Didier Drogba. Nothing you can do about a coin flip, but there is something you can do about your own performance. If the team "underachieved" it isn't due to luck. It is due to staying with a formation that wasn't working, having the wrong players in the wrong positions, which resulted in losing multiple games by 3 or more goals, multiple games where the effort was lacking, multiple games where the Revs just weren't up for the task. But it's not the coach's fault, it's just bad luck. Sure, beating the Montreal reserves in front of a big crowd was a better way to end the season that being poked in the eye with a sharp stick, but only an idiot or a liar would read anything more into it that it was--a meaningless game with nothing at stake. The FO is over the moon that they drew 20,000 average, and that vindicates them. The fact that many people are indifferent at best and shrug their shoulders that Heaps was rewarded tells them that mediocrity is good enough. Why bother to spend a Rolling Stones party-sized sum of money to bring in a couple of difference-making players for next season? It won't matter. We have Kouassi for the whole season, a couple of college kids who are supposed to be pretty good, and some guy we picked up off the waiver wire who was not good enough to get quality minutes for Chicago or Houston. Spending all that money won't make a difference, even if we do do better on the field. Increased attendance and jersey sales of these acquisitions won't make up for the money spent, so why bother? Yes, why bother indeed. Everything about this team reeks apathy, from the top on down.
Legitimately trying to win vs.Hoping that winning happens to happen to them, but no biggie if not. That's the fundamental difference here. Can a sports club/team/franchise be considered to be respecting the integrity of the ideal of "sport" when it knowingly and intentionally resides in the part second? If a team does not respect the ideal of "sport", then can it rightly be considered a "sports team", or does it exist only as an "investment"?
They don't give a damn because they've found ten plastic fans to take the place of each passionate one, unfortunately for us but fortunately for them. Plus plastic fans pay more money and buy more concessions than the season tix holders who tailgate. We are not that important to their bottom line.
But we have to make sure we can put together 34 games, not nine games. - Jay Heaps How about putting 90 minutes together? Baby steps Jay I look at it like did we have the ability to compete this year, to make the playoffs and compete for the championship? I think with the roster that we had the answer is yes. So, I think with the staff we have, the players we have, I feel like we’ve underachieved. I don’t look at the team we had this year as a bad team but it was an unsuccessful team. When you’re an unsuccessful team and don’t make the playoffs you need to look at that. But to say we need more staff or we need X, Y, and Z, I would tell you if I thought that was the case. I don’t think that was the case with the team we had. -Burnsie This tells me that his is not the man for the job. Clearly he is looking at this team with rose colored glasses. He can't see that Jay is mediocre coach at best. He can't see that the back four has been a disaster all year no matter who he threw out there. He can't see that the keeper position is in dire need of upgrade. etc.... But I don’t look at it like our club is at a disadvantage or we need more staff or more of this or more of that. Because I think we’re still in a place where we can compete for championships and I think we’ve shown that very recently. - Burns Working for the Krafts must have its disadvantages. Recently you missed the playoffs. Not so recently you were knocked out of the playoffs in the first game. Two years ago you make the cup finals and lost.......AGAIN But I feel my job is, what we’re trying to do is put our team in a position to be able to compete for it year in and year out. - Burns This is achieved by not signing players in the off season for glaring holes, not signing them in the transfer window and leaving roster spots open To be able to get to five, it’s a massive disappointment, because clearly we were good enough to win at least one of those, we’re putting our team in a position to be successful. There aren’t many teams that can say they’ve participated in five. When I look at it like that, I feel like we’re doing OK in that regard. Of course, you want to win one. - Burns Live in the past much?
Ah, that old chestnut - I was wondering when that would come up again. Class warfare among the fans! Can I self-select into the passionate fans group, or is there entrance criteria? Which supporters groups are endorsing Hilary? Of all the many things wrong with this organization, the fact that they managed to claw themselves into mid-table respectability in attendance isn't close to being a negative thing. With all that frivolity aside, Burns' recent comments are the most disturbing thing I've heard from him in a while. He's at best a follower, not even an early adopter, and certainly not a leader or visionary. I'm waiting for him to realize that having a strong USL relationship is something that might be catching on in MLS!